Matt’s Desk: Editor’s Blog

I want an iMac for my office, and honestly I’m growing tired of waiting for the 2012 model(s) to be released… It’s been nearly 400 days since the current model made its debut, which is well over the average of 270 days between iMac refreshes. 

But the wait may soon be over. Rumor upon rumor suggests that Apple is on the verge of announcing new iMac and MacBook Pro models, which is quite believable since the Ivy Bridge processors needed to power each of these systems was publically released by Intel in April; and you’d have to assume Apple got its hands on first-gen Ivy Bridge chips well before the general public.

Exactly when the 2012 iMac line might be announced or – more importantly – when they’ll be made available to buyers is a matter of some debate.  Many believe, however, that new MacBook Pros and iMacs will be announced, and possibly released, in June or July. 

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Earlier this year I decided to ditch my Core i7 cooler and look for something quieter.  I work in the office hours each day, and keeping my working environment quiet, though a longtime desire, had become a growing concern – my CPU fan was getting older and starting to rumble a bit.

Originally, I had planned to gather several cooling solutions in the $60-$80 range to determine which was best; but in the end I decided to put just two in a head-to-head matchup:

The Noctua NH-D14 (above, left) , a whopping cooler with fans and fins and pipes galore, and a contained liquid cooling system, the Antec KUHLER H20 620. 

I spent weeks with each, tweaking and measuring, and made my choice.  But my choice may not be yours; the answer to which solution is best for you depends on several factors.

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It’s been a long wait, but the wait is over: Ivy Bridge is here.

You can now order seven of the 3rd Gen Intel Core desktop processors, four Core i5 models and three Core i7.  If you’re going with a Core i5, you’ll probably want the Core i5 3570k ($249, Model BX80637I53570K), which is the most easily overclockable.  Prefer an i7, and the Core i7 3770k ($349, Model BX80637I73770K) is likely best, and for the same reason.  If you don’t care about overclocking, then any of the other models will do fine.

Amazon.com and NewEgg have all of the new processors in stock and ready to ship tomorrow for delivery as early as Tuesday.  Both retailers are selling each of the new CPUs for the same price, which will likely fall in the coming weeks.   But if you want one, order now; the first stocks of these processors probably won’t last long.

In late March I told you Intel would release its new Ivy Bridge processors – or at least the first tranche – on April 29th.  But this morning the ‘net is aflutter with a rumor that the launch as been moved up to April 23rd.

I’m not so sure.

Perhaps Intel has decided to have a press event on April 23, but I’d bet (not my life – let’s say a penny) that you won’t see retail availability of the new chips until around that original date, April 29th.

I’d like to be wrong, though.  I’m looking forward to a long overdue upgrade.

M